Battles and wars Vietnam War | Name Jack Tilley Battles/wars Vietnam War | |
Born December 3, 1948 (age 75)
Vancouver, Washington ( 1948-12-03 ) Allegiance United States of America Rank Sergeant Major of the Army Awards Army Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit (3)
Bronze Star with "V" Device
Meritorious Service Medal (2)
Army Commendation Medal (2)
Army Achievement Medal (3) | ||
Years of service 1966–1969
1971–2004 Service/branch United States Army | ||
SMA Jack L. Tilley speaks to Fairways For Warriors
Jack L. Tilley is a highly-decorated military veteran and businessman. He served for almost 37 years in the United States Army, culminating in his appointment in 2000 as the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army, a post he held until his retirement on January 15, 2004. He was the last Vietnam War veteran to serve in that position.
Contents
- SMA Jack L Tilley speaks to Fairways For Warriors
- Early life
- Military career
- Awards and decorations
- Post military career
- Philanthropy
- References
Early life
Tilley was born in Vancouver, Washington, on December 3, 1948 and enlisted in the United States Army under the "Buddy Program" with his pal Barney Boykin. They both attended basic combat training at Fort Lewis, WA, advanced training at Fort Knox KY, and basic airborne training at Ft Benning, GA.
Military career
His first assignment was to the Republic of Vietnam with A Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment as a vehicle crewman. Upon completion of his 1-year deployment he was assigned as a drill instructor at Fort Benning, Georgia until his enlistment expired; Tilley left the active duty Army for two years and served in the Reserve Component before enlisting again in the Active Component in September 1971.
He held a variety of important positions culminating in his assignment as the Sergeant Major of the Army. He previously held the senior enlisted position as Senior Enlisted Leader of the United States Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Other assignments he held as Command Sergeant Major were 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry, Fort Knox, 194th Armored Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Bad Kreuznach, Germany, and United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Arlington, Virginia.
Tilley held every key leadership position including tank commander, section leader, drill sergeant, platoon sergeant, senior instructor, operations sergeant and first sergeant. His military education includes the First Sergeants Course and the Sergeants Major Academy. He is a graduate of the basic airborne course, drill sergeant school and the master gunner's course.
Awards and decorations
Post-military career
Tilley retired from the Army in January 2004 and is currently the Chief Executive of JTilley, Inc., a services company based in Tampa, FL that specializes in placing military leaders into corporate America.
Philanthropy
He is the co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of the non-profit American Freedom Foundation. This organization creates awareness and building support of their service, sacrifice and needs through partnerships with military focused organizations. The organization also sponsors military career fairs and hiring events regularly in major military areas around the country. These events are usually in conjunction with high-profile concerts or entertainment. Special emphasis is always given to the men and women who were wounded in action (WIA).